rdm,
I'm guessing that by "AWT" you mean the American Windsurfing Tour....right?
I was under the impression that the AWT is a US Sailing/US Windsurfing series of races
around the USA.
Is this the AWT you are referring to?
If so, there have never been any truly organized windsurfing regattas on the Outer Banks of NC.
I've been here most of the time for the last 20 years and other than some small wave sailing
events, and a few vintage windsurfer events, I've never seen any large organization sanctioned regattas
on Hatteras Island.
As far as Starboard presence here, Wind NC is a full service Starboard Dealer/shop, and the owner is doing his best to create events for windsurfing and SUP here on the Outer Banks.
Starboard as always had a substantial presence at the Frisco Woods Windfest (and did again this year)
and Wind NC was there as well. There will be a "Paddle Pallooza" event this summer for SUP sponsored by Wind NC at Frisco Woods.
We had some "fun races" at the Windfest this year that were an absolute blast.
One of the reasons (which you may not have considered) for no orgainzed events (specially formula and
other disciplines that require < 35-40 cm fins and weed fins much of the time) is the water depth in the sound and the weeds.
I'm not aware of any AWT events in such shallow water and weedy conditions, and I think I've been to most of the major venues with the Sailworks/Starboard "A Taste of Windsurfing" Tour over the last
12 years.
We are still doing "A Taste of Windsurfing" on a limited schedule but budget cuts in the WS industry have limited our funding so we now must travel on our own funds/buy the demo boards we carry.
Hope this hellps,
Roger

Roger,
Yeah Andy at Wind NC puts lots of time in getting events going. Actually Paddle Pallooza is this weekend. I was thinking about the AWT wave sailing series and I had windsurfing in mind when I asked the question.

Wind NC has Starboard SUPs (I own one) but I don't think has any new Starboard windsurf boards. I'm a Starboard fan and would love to see these in a shop. Try before you buy is a huge help and that would be best case. However you mentioned the windsurf industry budget cuts- I know this has made for fewer demo opportunities and I guess even a company as dominant as Starboard is effected.

What boards are you looking to demo.
I have a small demo fleet that will travel up and down the east coast and as far west as the Worthington, Minnesota to the Windsurfing Regatta and Unvarnished Music Festival next weekend.
I do not have wave boards if that's what you are looking for.
94/107/111/117W/121 iSonics....101/121 Futuras... Ultrasonic 147.
My demo fleet is limited as I have to buy the boards now. They are no longer supplied to me as
factory/distributor demo boards.
Andy at Wind NC does have a few new Starboards in stock, and can order you whatever you need.
I sail at the Canadian Hole, or Andy can get in touch with me and we can hook you up with any of the
boards I have in my limited fleet.
Demos..... wave boards.... that's a tough one.
Best to spend a little time on Maui. They demo wave boards there all the time.
Roger

I'm interested in the Kode and Quad. That is a good joke. Spend > 2 boards worth to try boards in paradise. It get it though- the company is targeting the bulk of the remaining market. It would be interesting to meet you next time you are in NC. I've put a lot of effort into growing the sport but after trial and error with Formula, the GO and others it looks like the wind SUP is the best hope for inland weekend warriors. Thanks for the information.

I had forgotten that you were in NC. My wife retires this December (I am already retired) and we have already purchased a home in Raleigh, so I am thinking I will be making a few trips per year to the OB next year. I will have to look you up when the time comes.

Since you were last in Texas, our NTWR (north texas wind riders) have continued to host the Texas State Championships and The Pumpkin Cup on Lake Lewisville. Both events have been very successful, both socially and racing. We miss your presence and demo gear. Below is part of the event write up for our newsletter.

Even with a sketchy forecast, the turnout was surprisingly good with 26 racers on the water and a plethora of friends and family members on the beach. Friday was windy, but rain, cool temperatures and overcast skies didn’t keep some from enjoying an afternoon of excellent sailing. Afterwards, the usual crowd gathered at the Prairie House Restaurant for the traditional Friday night dinner.

After a rather cool night (upper 40’s) Saturday began with clear skies and no wind. The forecast kicked in as some projected with northwest winds of 5-15 mph (more on the 5-10 side). It wasn’t long before the first race was off for all five classes on two courses. Upwind/downwind for the Open and Formula classes and an out & back course for the Fun, 7.5 Limited and Slalom fleets. The Formula fleet had the most frustrating day trying to nurse their wide boards upwind in mostly sub-planing conditions. We had a brief break for a Subway lunch that was provided for everyone and then back on the water for a total of four races on Saturday.

Texas State is party time and the mobs were there for a great BBQ dinner by Head Country Foods from Oklahoma City including ribs, sausage, brisket and chicken, and then the serious partying began with beer and more, plus music by Jet Tessmann’s band ZionaurA. The band kicked out a never ending blast of Rock, Reggae, Ska, and Island Genres that lasted into the late night hours. Rumor has it that some partiers weren’t feeling all that great Sunday morning. The keg of beer was empty before dawn (for those that signed up for the racer package).

After another cool night, Sunday broke with clear skies and light northwest winds. At 10:30 two more races were held on an out and back course for everyone. This year, we had two boats and crews, so we had on the water starts thanks to David Butler from DCYC and Ardy Moore from Hobie Fleet 23. Race Director John Steadman took it from there for a well run regatta.

Our event this year was graced by the presence of World Champion Kevin Prichard who let a select few demo his Starboard iSonic 117 slalom board with an 8.5 Ezzy Lion sail. He also spent some time on the water so the local gang could get some measure of how their skills compare. This complete rig & board were donated to Mariner Sails and the NTWR. The gear will be available at Mariner at a 20% discount with the proceeds split between the club and Mariner. Tim Ortlieb of Ezzy sails along with Kevin were the ones responsible for the great prize and the rig for Mariner and NTWR.

As usual, Mariner Sails and Aris Tsamis were the corner stone of the event for which we are all deeply appreciative. Support your local shop, it supports us BIG TIME. NTWR Commodore Terry Aldridge was a huge factor in the organization of this year’s event, with little doubt that this was one of our best ever (except for the lack of wind). We tried to blame this on Terry, but we couldn’t pull it off. “Terry’s the man.”

At 12:30, we had a great awards ceremony by the water with a lot of give-aways thanks to our sponsors (Da Kine Hawaii, Ezzy Sails, Sailworks, Pritchard windsurfing.com, Aloe Gator & Chinook Sailing, ABK Board Sports to name a few). The big prize winner was Jet Tessmann winning his choice of one of three Ezzy sails, and took home a Kevin Prichard signed Freerace Lion 7.5.

We had 26 racers in 5 fleets, but would have had many more if the wind had cooperated.